Technology Shifts, Capital Trends, and What They Mean for Your Business

2026 will reward integrators and dealers who understand where the market is heading—and expose those who don’t. AI adoption, recurring revenue pressure, labor costs, and accelerating consolidation are already changing how security and life safety businesses compete, grow, and are valued.

In this session, industry expert Michael Barnes will break down the latest U.S. market data—revenue trends, operating benchmarks, and capital flows—and explain exactly what it means for making decisions about technology investment, pricing, staffing, and long-term strategy.

If you’re responsible for protecting margins, choosing where to invest, or positioning your company for future value, this is not a session to skip. You’ll leave with clear signals on where opportunity is forming, where risk is increasing, and how smart dealers and integrators are preparing for the next year.

ESA is unveiling a new initiative, the ESA Industry Research Center, aimed at helping integrators and dealers better understand the market forces shaping business today and tomorrow. Backed by Beacon Economics and ESA Chief Economist Christopher Thornberg, PhD, this effort will provide meaningful insight to support smarter planning and stronger growth.

Built to support the security industry, this effort will focus on the key factors that influence performance, resilience, and future success. With the partnership with Beacon, the ESA Industry Research Center will build an Industry Performance Index (IPI) based on: 

• Business Activity & Market Growth to highlight current conditions and future demand.
• Workforce Capacity & Pressure to examine labor availability and operational strain.
• Revenue & Business Model Health to help assess business strength and sustainability.
• Technology & AI Adoption to explore how emerging tools are changing the industry.

This first-of-its-kind initiative is designed to give integrators, dealers, and industry leaders a clearer view of where the market stands today and where it’s headed next.

The electronic security industry isn’t slowing down—and neither are your customers, competitors, or operating costs. 

Today, you are expected to grow recurring revenue, adopt new technology, retain talent, and differentiate in an increasingly crowded market—often with fewer people and tighter margins. You don’t need an innovation department to succeed, but you do need a better way to see what others are missing. 

In this high-energy, business-focused keynote, bestselling author Diana Kander shows how curiosity becomes a competitive advantage for security integrators who want to grow smarter—not riskier. Based on The Curiosity Muscle, this session delivers practical tools leaders can use immediately to uncover blind spots, challenge outdated assumptions, and identify new opportunities hiding inside their existing business. 

This is not theory or “blue-sky” innovation. It’s about asking better questions—of your customers, your team, and your operations—to drive differentiation, efficiency, and sustainable growth. 

Attendees will leave ESX thinking differently about their business, spotting opportunities faster, and leading teams that adapt before they’re forced to.